Eamon Ryan (Dublin South, Green Party)

The Minister is not following a transport policy that will lead to a reduction in emissions. Instead, the State agency Sustainable Energy Ireland has set out detailed research on what is happening and where we are going. It predicts that by 2020 transport emissions will have increased by 46% on top of the 156% increase in the past 15 years. The Minister's record is one of utter failure in the past and preparing for failure in the future.

The debate on climate change has a moral dimension in that our emissions are killing people on the other side of the planet. Why is the Government failing in its basic moral duty by planning to increase emissions to such an extent that they will kill people? For this reason, the policy is dishonest. It is more than nonsense because "nonsense" is the wrong word.

The Minister is failing in every respect. Bus passenger numbers in this city are decreasing. As we heard on the last question, the Minister is willing to shut down the rail freight system, despite freight being one of the fastest growing sectors. In today's newspaper the Minister is reported as saying he is not happy with the number of roads we have and that he wants more such as an eastern bypass and an outer orbital ringroad around Dublin.

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